In active matrix driven display panels such as liquid crystal display panels and organic EL display panels, thin-film transistors (TFT) are formed in order to control the display state on a per-sub pixel basis.
Display panels generally use thin-film transistors in which silicon is used as a semiconductor layer, but in recent years, organic thin-film transistors in which an organic material is used as a semiconductor layer are being developed (see, for example, Patent Literature (PTL) 1).
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional thin-film transistor having a semiconductor layer made of an organic material.
As shown in (a) of FIG. 13, a conventional thin-film transistor 1000 is formed by sequentially stacking, on a substrate 1001, a gate electrode 1002, a gate insulating layer 1003, a source electrode 1004 and a drain electrode 1005, and a semiconductor layer 1008. The semiconductor layer 1008 is formed on the gate insulating layer 1003 so as to fill the space between the source electrode 1004 and the drain electrode 1005 and to cover the source electrode 1004 and the drain electrode 1005.
Also, on the gate insulating layer 1003 is provided a partition 1006 for defining adjacent elements. The partition 1006 is provided with an opening 1006a, and the source electrode 1004 and the drain electrode 1005 are formed on the bottom of the opening 1006a so as to be exposed from the opening 1006a. Also, within the opening 1006a of the partition 1006, the semiconductor layer 1008 made of an organic material is formed.
The thin-film transistor 1000 thus configured is formed in each sub-pixel of, for example, an organic EL display panel, and light emission control of light-emitting elements (organic EL elements) is performed by input of a signal into the gate electrode 1002.